https://www.as-web.jp/f1/750571
HRD Sakura held an online interview today, and Mr. Yasuaki Asagi, the director of HRD Sakura and F1 Project LPL, looked back on the development so far.
——Honda worked very very hard to introduce new combustion concept with Spec3,because Red Bull was making decisions about whether to switch to Honda PU or not.Also we need to work very hard to make sure they can fight from the start of 2019 season.
——We were suffering a lot to improve the efficiency of PU.But the Spec3,the new combustion concept brings a ultra-high speed combustion and solved the knocking problem.But it also took Honda a lone time to make the parts durable enough because parts like pistons were easily broken with that high pressure and heat.
——2019 was a year Honda fight with ERS power,because everytime we increased the ICE power,the the amount of regeneration decreased,so we had to deal with that to make the energy recovery wont be less after we improved the ICE.Honda thought Mercedes already hit the limit and cant improve much but 2020 proves we were wrong.Mercedes still had some thing in their pocket.And about energy recovery,the way Honda did was allowed in the original-planed Australia GP,but it was Baned by FIA in Austria GP.So basically 2020 was hard season,both for ICE and ERS development.
——We lose to Mercedes last year,but we also analyse and calculate how much we lose to them.Basically we didnt lose to them in the straight this year,but in some occasion we still lose to them and i really cant understand why.In Turkish GP,we dont lose to them when the steering was straight,but when in the sections where car need to turn the steering,then it seems we lose to them.I don't know if Mercedes can increase their power when it has the steering angle.
——Its similar for the energy recovery.Basically we compare the deployment times between we and Mercedes,and it seems we are a little better.But in Turkish GP,Honda's deployment cut earlier in qualifying Q3.That's what happens when you use a little more e-boost,so our analysis is that we're not losing to them in energy recovery.
——If you make a mistake and run out of deployment, it will greatly affect the qualifying results, but if you use it up, it may feel strange for you as a driver, but it does not matter so much in the results(in Max's case). Because we know what you were doing,we were dealing with that.But of course we dont know what others were doing and that's beyond my expectations.
——Honda applied for a patent on the new ES technology,which is not normal.Normally we didnt apply for a patents during race season,because it will tell the rivals what we did.But this time, Honda is fighting with a technology that benifit from it in the future.So we are also using the races as experiments a new future.
